Benjamin Graham/Lore
Benjamin Graham, a human character in a Craftsmen and Chimeras campaign, is a blacksmith, a craftsman, an enchanter, an artist, and a dancer of some renown. He specializes in enchanting weaponry and utilizing expert footwork and a general proficiency with most small arms in combat. He hails from the kingdom of Bether. Background Heritage Benjamin was conceived from the union of an artisan of modest income and a woman of elegance and nobility. It is from the latter that he draws his attractive features and from the former that he inherited his proficiency in various magical techniques. Evelyn, his mother, was the daughter of the king and queen of Bether. The queen of the land crafted this relationship to secure a matriarchal bloodline, despite the qualms of the daughter. The man was not of high birth, but he possessed refined skills in schools of magic and craftsmanship, making him a desirable father. He had always held affection for Evelyn, but suppressed it out of respect towards social order – the royal daughter did not reciprocate his infatuation, leading to a relationship of friction and woe. With the passing of the queen of Bether, Evelyn seized her opportunity to oust her father from the throne and secure a seat for herself. Soon after this coup, Benjamin’s father was expelled from the kingdom, leaving Benjamin as the only evidence of their union. Adolescence Benjamin had no struggles in his early years. After all, he had no one to impress - his mother resented him, his father was exiled, and the rest of his family was dead. He did not put faith into people for anything beyond superficial relationships. Regardless, given vast amounts of free time, Benjamin took to exploring the kingdom and meeting all its inhabitants as a child. He represented the royal family well – he was a polite and well-behaved young man. However, he was not a genuinely kind person to his core. Benjamin was somewhat of a manipulator – he was a pathological liar. He did not appreciate other people and generally only came to them for his own gain. However, he had positive outlets for his boredom – he had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. During his ventures, Benjamin took particular interest in an elderly man’s workshop. This elderly man was a curious fellow - very stout with a thick frame and layer upon layer of skin, personifying the "bullfrog" look. His face was masked by an intricate clashing of various tattoos. Complimenting his appearance, his entire person emanated an aura of peculiar eccentricity dichotomized by warm kindness. Only adding to his eccentricity, the singing voice that resonated from the man only during the most passionate of smithy work was unlike anything ever heard. The only word able to sum up this man is his name – Harald. An unattached, adolescent Benjamin clung to this man as a father figure, spending long hours learning the ins and outs of the smithy and raising some money for himself dancing to the smith's songs in front of the workshop to attract customers. Benjamin's time spent here led him to walk the path of a man of an absurd mix of weaponry, magic, and dancing. Adulthood Religious purges had always been common in Bether. However, their intensity and frequency spiked after the expulsion of Benjamin's grandfather, James Graham, in the coup staged by the now-mother of Benjamin. These purges often happened in spurts - some months would be more lax than others. In the year following Benjamin's 19th birthday, purges became relentlessly vigorous. Dozens were executed without trial, and tens of dozens were incarcerated indefinitely. Everyone, from preachers to associates, vaguely in connection with a god not affiliated with the Graham house was being targeted. Of course, this included Harald, Benjamin’s mentor. The bullfrog of a man packed up and headed silently, leaving nothing in his shop but his tools and past works. Benjamin spent a few years after Harald’s departure continuing the craft of metalworking at his workshop. During this time he made somewhat of a name for himself – the “Footsmith”, he was called. Personality Benjamin, not having had any major figures to follow until his adolescent years, had no deep-seated ideals or morals. He generally did whatever needed to be done to get what he wanted – whether that meant genuinely helping people with their shops or manipulating people into giving him supplies and luxuries. This sort of polarized behavior continued until he took a place of apprenticeship under Harald. After spending several years working under the singing smith, Harald began to accept that he depended on others to survive in the real world – he developed into a much less manipulative adult. However, his behavior slips in moments, revealing his politeness and kindness to be skin deep. Regardless, Benjamin's issues with connecting with others get to him, and he has made efforts to improve himself.